Abandoned children come to schools’ attention
in a variety of ways. Some examples that have been encountered in our
school district are:
-
An eight year old girl who arrived
at school on the bus with a packed suitcase and a note from Mom “giving”
her to the teacher
-
A 7th grade girl who
went home to discover that her family moved away during the school day
and left her behind
-
An 11th grade boy whose
family went off on vacation and left him without access to his home
-
A fifteen year old girl who was
pregnant and forced to leave the home due to the parent/caregiver’s
unwillingness to accept the situation or help the child
-
A teenage boy or girl who is told
to “Get out and don’t come back!”
Usually, school personnel learn of these
situations from students’ statements, notes or calls from the departing
parents/caregivers, or from neighbors or extended family members who become
aware of the circumstances and contact the school.
